"I'm not blind but he's done so well for us and he's had such an impactful career ...," McCullum said.

"In India, when you grow up, you work really hard for each and everything. Even when getting the bus you have to work really hard to get on the bus," said Yashasvi Jaiswal.

"Double hundred. Double fifty. This duo of Yashasvi & Sarfaraz has been double trouble for England," cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar wrote on X

England's bold tactics under Stokes and coach Brendon 'Baz' McCullum have revitalised Test cricket and India, who have not lost a Test series on home soil since 2012, were always going to be a litmus test of that philosophy.

The hosts reached 44-1 at tea in their second innings at Rajkot after part-time spinner Joe Root dismissed skipper Rohit Sharma lbw for 19.

Ashwin became only the ninth bowler to hit the landmark and only the second from India after Anil Kumble (619)

Rohit registered his 11th Test century soon after the tea break

“We were advised, on returning to India, that there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed's visa,” the ECB said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

The series is level at 1-1 after two matches that Kohli also missed, and will resume without him in Rajkot for the third Test starting Thursday.

Debutant Hartley delivered one of the greatest overseas wins in England's history, claiming a magnificent seven to down India in the first Test at Hyderabad and complete a classic comeback.

"Seeing @BrianLara in tears in the comm box tells you everything you need to know about Test cricket and what it means," former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

On Sunday, however, Test match cricket, which has been on the scene since Australia and England first locked horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877, showed there is still life in the format.

"We're glad the situation has now been resolved," said the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Since Alastair Cook led a touring England to a 2-1 series victory more than a decade ago, India have gone on to win 16 consecutive test series at home.

The tourists opted for speedster Mark Wood ahead of veteran quick James Anderson at the start of the five-match series in Hyderabad.

"As captain I find it particularly frustrating. We announced the squad in mid-December and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here...It's unfortunate and I'm very frustrated for him. With Bash unfortunately not able to be here, it rules him out of this game."

"They are playing successful cricket and the aggressive route of taking the opposition on, showing the world there’s another way to play Test cricket," Bumrah said.

The statement added: "The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli's privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons."

England have certainly added spice to Test cricket with the way they have played Test cricket since captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum joined hands. By eliminating the fear of failure, the England men's team have played free-flowing cricket and have not been afraid of taking bold calls even in the toughest situations - an approach that has been labelled Bazball.